The present invention relates to a boot for gliding sports, particularly for skiing, comprising a rigid shell, for partially surrounding a user""s foot, a collar and an inner boot, said boot including an open part for making it easier to put on and take off.
Gliding sports, particularly skiing, have shown up several contradictory requirements in the area of boots. Firstly, boots must have a rigid structure so as correctly to transmit the user""s movements to the ski or the board for gliding. Secondly, it is also necessary to use flexible parts in order to address the user""s comfort, but also to make it possible to put boots on and to take them off under optimum conditions.
Different types of boots for gliding sports have been developed and are known in the prior art, particularly the following publications, the content of which is incorporated in the present application by reference.
By way of example, international application WO 96/03186, the content of which is incorporated by reference, shows a snowboarding boot that comprises a single-piece rigid shell surrounding the user""s foot and heel, but having an opening on the top of the foot and the front of the lower leg, and a flexible part covering the open part of the rigid shell. This flexible part also includes means for fastening a lace, such as eyelets and loops, in order to close the boot. Moreover, the boot sole comprises means for directly interacting with the bindings of the board for gliding.
Another, similar sports boot is known from U.S. patent application U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,735, the content of which is incorporated by reference. This also comprises a rigid shell and a second part, forming an overlay, made from relatively flexible material that is attached and fixed on the rigid shell.
Another boot for gliding sports is known from U.S. patent application U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,461, the content of which is incorporated by reference. This boot includes a relatively rigid power circuit, that centralizes stresses, and a relatively flexible circuit capable of making the foot comfortable, the two circuits being integral with a common reference element consisting of the boot sole. The rigid circuit comprises, in particular, a shell with a rear stiffener for the heel and a collar articulated on the stiffener. The flexible circuit, in turn, consists of a flexible inner boot surrounding the user""s foot and lower leg. This boot also comprises an outer protective envelope. The lower part of the inner boot and the protective envelope may be connected simultaneously to the shell by means of lateral stitching.
However, this boot has the disadvantage of being complex to manufacture because it comprises numerous devices for fastening the various elements together.
Another type of boot is described in German Patent Application DE 195 27 320, the content of which is incorporated by reference. This boot is composed of an inner boot proper, and a separate outer shell, and there is no permanent link between these two separate elements.
Finally, another variable-rigidity sports boot is known from U.S. patent application U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,494, the content of which is incorporated by reference. This boot is formed from an outer upper comprising a rigid, non-flexible first portion, a second portion that is both rigid and flexible, fixed on the first portion and/or on the sole, and a flexible third portion fixed on the second portion. The arrangement of these three portions relative to one another is such that, apart from the areas needed for fixing them together, they are not superposed.
The object of the invention is primarily to improve known boots for gliding sports.
More particularly, an object of the invention is to provide a boot for gliding sports that is both rigid and flexible in order to allow good control of the gliding device by the user and realistic sensations, and that is also agreeable to wear and easy to put on or take off. Moreover, the boot has to be simple to manufacture and include a low number of different elements.
The boot according to the invention is defined by the characteristics of claim 1.
Dependent claims 2 to 8 define particular embodiments of the boot according to the invention.